


You Really Are My Hero

by templarsandhoes



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Halamshiral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 10:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4662666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templarsandhoes/pseuds/templarsandhoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alea Lavellan has never worn a gown, or had fancy shoes made for her.  Blackwall couldn't wait to leave Halamshiral. But, he won't leave without granting Alea her one wish: a dance in a fancy ballgown.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Really Are My Hero

**Author's Note:**

> A slight re-imagining of The Winter Palace and Halamshiral.

Walking through the grand halls of the Winter Palace, Blackwall had never felt more cold. There were candles everywhere, marble statues that depicted brave war heroes, tables upon tables of food that probably took weeks to prepare, beautiful people as far as the eye could see; and yet, he felt just as alone as he did wandering the Hinterlands by himself. It didn’t help that there was a Tevinter assassin on the loose, and he was frustrated that Alea was playing nice with all of the dignitaries and nobles that filled the halls. There was nothing Blackwall wanted more than to be rid of the dress uniform that was a tad bit too tight and to lay down in bed with a glass of wine. Maybe even a bottle. And, of course, he wanted Alea right there next to him. As soon as they had arrived to Halamshiral, Josephine whisked the Inquisitor off to prepare her for the ball. He respected her duties as the Inquisitor, but there were still times he wanted to shield her from the world and keep Alea to himself. As he watched her literally be dragged away by Josephine, there was something forming in the pit of his stomach as she turned around, apologizing several times. She was ethereal; this woman was the leader of the Inquisition, was going to stop a Tevinter assassin from killing an empress, saved the Grey Wardens, and could move her blades so fast he wouldn’t be able to see them taking out an opponent. Yet, she had the most optimistic outlook on life, she picked flowers and placed them in Cassandra’s hair, and had a way with animals and children that he had never seen before. She was as deadly as she was kind, as intimidating as she was loving. She clouded his judgement, made him see the world differently. Alea was messing with his head, and Blackwall wasn’t sure if he should end things with her or marry her.

Alea walked up the stairs into the Vestibule after the rest of the members of the Inquisition. With Josephine by her side, he could tell she was nervous. Well, she had told him earlier that she was nervous, but her blue eyes couldn’t hide it. He studied her face for a few moments, before he noticed the small pin pulling back one side of her shoulder-length brown hair, her pointed ear commanding attention. The gold and green shimmered in the candlelight, and that is when his eyes shifted down to the rest of her body. Green lace covered her collarbones, shoulders, and arms. Her small breasts pushed up in the dark green dress that was tight to her body. The lace continued down her body, to her hips, where the lace jumped off the silk fabric clinging to her legs and created a train behind her. She had some trouble walking up the stairs, but Josie offered an arm to help. When Blackwall saw her smile in appreciation, his knees felt unstable, his heart beat climbing. He could not contain the smile that was forming underneath his mustache. The world seemed to slow around him, the only thing he could focus on was her; the exaggerated swing of her hips, the way her eyes seemed lighter, her skin's olive tone, her arms perfectly snug in lace. His eyes darted all over, not knowing where to focus. She started walking towards the group, and Blackwall’s eyes lit up even more. “Of course, Alea gets a stunning dress, and I get this old getup.”

“Dorian, you look very handsome, as always. You all do, in fact.” She smiled at Dorian, eyes moving to Iron Bull, then at Varric, who nodded in appreciation. Blue eyes ran over Cullen, who cleared his throat, then they moved to Blackwall. Their eyes meet, not a word needing to be exchanged.

“Well, the nobles here aren’t too keen on her being, um, Dalish. So we needed all the help we could get to convince them that the Inquisition is worth endorsing.” Josephine’s voice floated amongst them.

“With the Boss lookin’ this hot, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Iron Bull said, after chugging a glass of wine.

“Uh, thank you, Bull.” Alea had a half a smile on her face as she spoke to him, unsure of how to take his ‘compliment’. “Anyway, I need you guys help me out, since this dress leaves me nowhere to hide a weapon.” Blackwall looked at her dress again, not-so-subtly dragging his eyes over her waist and hips.

“I’m starting to agree with Sparkler on this one. Lee gets to parade around in a fancy dress, drink wine, eat food, and mingle, while we have to do all the dirty work?” Varric crossed his arms as he spoke.

“No, no dirty work. It will be very clean.” Josephine’s voice cut in, almost a whisper. Dorian and Bull let out a chuckle. “But yes, we need her out in the ballroom, making as good of an impression as she can. Leliana had someone make her brand new shoes for the occasion, for Andraste’s sake.”

“Let me see!” Dorian couldn’t hide his excitement. Alea let out a giggle as she lifted her dress slightly. All eyes fell to her feet, where there were golden satin shoes, with emeralds laid in them. She turned her ankle slightly, showing off the short heel that resembled a Halla’s twisting horns.

“If there is one speck of blood on those shoes at the end of the night, I swear to the Maker-” Josephine started, but was cut off by Alea’s hand on her shoulder.

“I am not ruining these, trust me. These are the first good pair of shoes I’ve ever had, and I want to keep them perfect.” 

“Enough about shoes, I think it’s time to move into the ballroom, by the look the Duke is giving us.” Cullen cut in. Josephine let out a gasp, as she started to preen Alea’s hair one final time. They moved into their positions, Duke Gaspard took Alea’s arm, and they were ushered into the ballroom.

After their grand entrance, Blackwall found shelter in the Hall of Heroes, were there was not a single soul besides his own. He sat down, gazing up at the large statues lit by candles. His mind wandered, praying that no one would recognize him for the traitor he was. The Game was the only thing he hated about being a well-respected Captain in the Orlesian Army. He stood up, taking a deep breath, trying to push the memories from his brain. He heard footsteps, so he puffed out his chest, tried to make himself look distracted. “There you are,” Alea’s breathy voice echoed in the marble-filled room. He turned around, all the problems in the world suddenly disappearing. She walked down the steps towards him, her eyes focused on her feet. The train of lace flowing behind her, the gold hairpin shimmering in the flickering candlelight, Blackwall was sure he’s never seen a more beautiful sight.

“ _Maker’s breath_ ,” he muttered as she descended the last stair. She smiled big, and she let out a soft laugh, a sound Blackwall wanted to hear nonstop. “You could cause a man to forget any problem he’s ever had.” She let out a hum of approval as she went to kiss him. Their lips met, a sense of comfort washing over him. They both let out a sigh as they parted.

“And you could give any woman a few more problems,” she said as she met her side with his. He let out a chuckle. His arm instinctively went to her hip, holding her close. She held one hand around his back, the other palm spread across his chest. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, and his lips placed a chaste kiss on her head. “Nice and quiet over here.”

“Yes, I’m glad I can get away from it all. Just want to get the job done and get out,” he grumbled into her head. _And be alone with you_ , he thought.

“I agree with you on that.” They looked ahead of them, at the statue towering over them. “Seen anything yet?” She asked.

“Nothing interesting yet. And I definitely won’t if you’re here to distract me,” he said lowly, tightening his grip on her hip slightly. She laughed, the sound more seductive than she intended.

“So. Silverite Wings of Valor, huh. What did you receive those for?” She turned slightly, smiling as she looked up at him. His grip on her loosened, and he leaned away from her slightly.

“For...valor.” She gave him a pout, a sight that made Blackwall weak in the knees. “It’s in the past, let’s keep it that way. Besides, there’s an assassin on the loose, we shouldn’t be talking about me. So let’s get this over with.” He said with more frustration than he had planned. Her pout turned into a frown, her eyes looking hurt. She took a small step away from him. _Fuck_ , he thought to himself, his bottom lip suddenly caught in his teeth. He let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Alea. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.” She started to smile, and he started to calm. “Maker, I’m glad you’re the one mingling. I don’t think I could handle those idiots tonight”

“Yes, thank you.” She mocked. He laughed, the moments where she joked with him warming his heart to no end. “No really, you’re so helpful and supportive. I really appreciate it.” He pulled her into him, still getting out his laughter. He kissed her nose as she let out a few giggles. How she could change his mood so quickly, so effortlessly, was beyond him. He was just so thankful that she came crashing into his life. “I should get back to those idiots,” she drew the words out.

“Yes you should. And just so you know, when this is all over, I’m stealing you away. I’ve been saving a special bottle of red, and I think after all of this, we could use a drink or two.” He said with a smile. She let out another low, seductive laugh. She keeps doing that, he won’t be able to wait until after the ball to whisk her away.

“Mmm. That sounds amazing.” She gave him another kiss, her leg lifting slightly off the ground when his large hands found her waist. Pulling away slightly, she started to speak again. “You know, I’ve always wanted to dance at a ball in a fancy dress with a very handsome man.” She smiled up at him, and he could feel a blush forming on his cheek. The most beautiful woman in all of Thedas thought he was handsome, a fact Blackwall still couldn’t believe. “Save me a dance?” She asked, hopeful. He grinned.

“All of them,” he assured her. There was no one else in that ballroom, no one else in the world, that he would rather dance with than her. She smiled, and he swore the room got brighter. She walked away, her arms hovering above her sides, as they always were. Everything about her was so gentle, everything about him rough. She walked up the stairs, stealing a glance back at the man watching her. He winked at her, then peeled his eyes away. He could hear her giggle slightly, his heart swelling with pride. As soon as she left the room and re-entered the ballroom, his smile started to fade, knowing he had a job to do. No more distractions.

True to their word, the four men she brought with her investigated the palace for her. She mingled with guests, sealing alliances like it was nothing. Blackwall came out from the Royal apartments and ran to Alea, a feeling forming in his gut that she needed to come with them, and finish the job. As if in an instant, they were walking behind her through a closed-off section of the palace. Between the four men, they had two knives to spare, in place of her normal double daggers. They followed her with purpose, determined to solve the Empress’s problem. Suddenly, when they turned a dark corner, the courtyard coming up on their left was suddenly illuminated green. Everyone knew what that meant. Alea looked down at her left hand, which was starting to glow the same green it always did when they approached a rift. Everyone let out a different curse, and they opened the double doors.

In a blur, Blackwall and Iron Bull were blocking all of the demons from getting to Alea. No armor and unusual weapons had Alea scrambling. She was visually more nervous than they had ever seen her, so they all focused their energy on protecting her. She focused her energy on disrupting the rift, throwing the demons off-balance. Varric pointed Biana up and shot down one demon at a time, Dorian using his magic on a force field around Alea. As she finally closed the rift, she took a deep breath. She spoke, surprisingly calmly, to the man they had later found out was Duke Gaspard’s mercenary. Blackwall almost laughed at how calm she was, after how nervous she had just been. It was remarkable. Just another thing he admired so much about her. After the captain left, she returned one knife to Varric, another to Iron Bull. She smoothed her dress slightly, Dorian helping her put her hair pin back into place. “I rather like this.” He said, pin in his mouth while he twisted her hair slightly.

“You like what?” She asked, fixing the sleeve of her dress. Placing the pin in her hair, Dorian answered her.

“Primping you after a fight. It feels very, oh I don’t know, natural. Not that I’ve ever fought demons in a ball gown.”

“Oddly enough, neither have I.” They all laughed. “And I don’t particularly want to do it again.” Dorian gave her a final once-over.

“Absolutely stunning. Never would be able to guess that you were closing a fade rift back here.”

“Thank you. Now let’s get back and ruin Florianne’s night, shall we?” Alea asked them, with sudden confidence.

“Blackwall, I might have to steal her from you. She’s a woman after my own heart.” Dorian said with a smug grin on his face.

“Not on my life, Dorian.” Blackwall said with a straight face, then turned to Alea. The corners of her lips turned up slightly, and his lips mirrored hers. They all followed Alea back into the ballroom, where Cullen dragged Alea away. Blackwall let out a slight huff, as he wandered back into the Hall of Heroes. He sat on the hard marble bench, for how long, he couldn’t say. Suddenly, Leliana appeared beside him. Leliana and Alea were the only two that could sneak up on him like that.

“The Inquisitor did very well tonight. Lots of support was conjured for the Inquisition, all thanks to Alea.” He smiled, the pride he had for Alea growing.

“I had no doubts.”

“Neither did I.” She slightly whispered to him. She sat down next to him. “I saw her alone on the balcony. You might want to go to her, and quickly. I heard rumblings from a number of men about how beautiful she is, and how…” she trailed off when she saw Blackwall stand up and quietly exit the Hall. She smiled to herself, happy that Alea would be happy.

He walked through the ballroom, dodging a few nobles who were not watching where they were going. He stopped to talk to no one, and caught a glimpse of her standing on the balcony, staring out into the garden of the Palace. Illuminated by the moonlight, his heart raced. _How do you get more beautiful every time I see you_ , he asked himself. He smiled as he approached her. “You know, there are plenty of lords and ladies dying to get your attention, Inquisitor.”

“Is that so?” She smiled when she heard his voice. Her shoulders relaxed when she felt his presence beside her.

“It is. And you’re out here. Alone.” She looked at him, a hollow smile on her face. “Care to tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” She looked down, bashful. He moved closer to her, but still keeping a modest distance between them. There were eyes on them, definitely more eyes than he was used to. He brought his hand to the small of her back, and she took a deep breath.

“I’m just a little tired, is all. This dress is getting uncomfortable, and I had to smile at the men and women who called every other elf in this palace ‘knife-ear’.” She sighed. “I’m looking forward to that bottle, if the offer still stands.” He smiled, and brought his hand to her cheek.

“Of course it does. But…” he pulled his hand down, and backed away from her. She looked at him, confused, but intrigued. “Before we leave, may I have this dance, Lady Lavellan?” He bowed his head and held his hand out. Her lips instantly formed a smile, her hand taking his hand.

“Absolutely.” She said, assuredly. He smiled back at her, his hand pulling her body towards him. Her hand goes up to his shoulder, reaching slightly. He held her tight, and started to swing her around the balcony.

“You look so beautiful tonight, Alea,” he said with love filling his heart. She laughed as he led them with ease. He lifted her arm up, spinning her around.

When he pulled her back to him, she said, “So you’re not only extremely handsome, but you’re a good dancer and you have a special bottle of wine waiting for me?” He grinned, his pride getting the better of him. He tightened his grip on her, and slowly dipped her back. Their eyes met. “You really are my hero.” He brought her back up.

“You should see what I could do with that dress,” he whispered into her ear, a shudder flowing through her veins. She smiled at him, more seductive than ever.

“Let’s get out of here and you could show me, then.” She said, equally as low. It was his turn to shudder. He held out his arm, and she tangled hers with his. He led her around the ballroom, allowing her to say her goodbyes. Josephine pulled her away, much to neither of their surprise, and he simply told her to meet him by the door. He walked toward the grand front door of the palace. She had caught up to him, more comfortable in her shoes than she was at the beginning of the night. Her arms came back up to his, her palms wrapped around his bicep. “Alright, I’m all yours for the night.” She said, only for him to hear.

“Perfect.” He said, pulling her hand up to his lips. He placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Shall we, my lady?” She nodded at him, and he led them away from the busy palace, and to their own world for the night. There was nowhere either of them would rather be than in each others arms. Which is exactly where they found themselves the next morning.


End file.
